Page 24 of White Little Lies

“I’m really fine,” I pressed.

“After what happened with the fae—”

“You’re the one who got stabbed, not me.”

His chin tipped even lower. “An elf tried to slit your throat.”

I rolled my eyes, then turned to head up the stairs. I knew he wasn’t going anywhere, so we may as well be comfortable. He followed me up, then we both stood there looking at Sebastian in his chair, not acknowledging either of us.

I cleared my throat.

Sebastian lowered his book, giving me a pointed look. “You’resupposedto be sleeping.”

I raised my hands. “Yes, I’m going to be useless in Emerald Heights tomorrow, I get it.”

His eyes drifted back down to the book in his hands. “Your nymph has begun to stir. Perhaps you can divine where she would like to be delivered so we can get this over with.”

I looked at Gabriel, then hurried toward the couch.Ringo finally came scurrying out of the room, crawling up onto my shoulder as soon as I knelt down.

Aaliyah had her back to me, and seemed to be sleeping peacefully. But Sebastian was right, she had repositioned herself on her own. I lightly shook her shoulder.

She groaned, then turned over, rubbing eyes that quickly grew three sizes larger as she stared at me, then the big goblin behind me. “W-what happened?” She started to sit up, then winced, holding a hand to her head.

“Take it easy,” I soothed. “We think you were poisoned. We brought you here to recover.”

She lowered her hand, though she still looked pained. “Poison? No, it’s a curse. They caught my uncle outside of our territory and that’s what happened to him—punishment for leaving our realm.” She pinched her brow, taking a few deep breaths, and when she looked up at me, her eyes were clearer. “I didn’t think anyone had followed me, but once I reached the park, something hit me. I couldn’t tell what happened, but I was suddenly horribly weak, and I could barely think straight.”

“Well a poison antidote is what saved you.”

Aaliyah stared at me, clearly not comprehending what I was saying.

I sat crosslegged on the floor, scooting a little closer to the couch, trying to look harmless. “Maybe you couldstart from the beginning and tell me exactly what happened.”

Aaliyah looked past me at Gabriel again.

“No one here is going to hurt you,” I said calmly. “Just start from the beginning. We’ll help you figure this out.”

Sebastian snorted, earning him a sharp look from me, which he didn’t seem to care about in the slightest.

Aaliyah gave him a wary look, but finally, cleared her throat and began her tale.

Gabriel,Sebastian, and I walked back down the stairs, leaving Ringo with Aaliyah. Magic popped in my ears as Sebastian made a barrier around us, preventing any eavesdropping.

Gabriel’s expression was grim as he glanced back up the stairs. “Her story sounds like a child’s tale.”

“Yeah, well so does my life lately,” I sighed. “It doesn’t mean it isn’t true. At the very least, she believes it.Somethinghappened to her.”

“She was likely poisoned earlier.” Sebastian stroked his chin in thought. At some point during her story, he had finally become interested in the mystery of it all. I knew he didn’t care what happened to her, but he enjoyed a good puzzle. “It hit her in the park, so she believes she was attacked by a curse at that time, but it could have simply been a slow-moving poison.If she came from her family’s dwelling, it may have even happened there.”

“That still doesn’t tell us who did it,” I said.

He lowered his hand from his chin, waving me off. “Nor is it really our concern. Return her to her people so we can get on with our day.”

“If you simply drop her off,” Gabriel grumbled, “someone else might try to kill her.”

Fire flashed in Sebastian’s eyes. “She now knows she was poisoned. She can tell her family what happened and they can protect her. Nymphs look after their own. It is an absolute necessity when they choose to live in the city.”

“You have no concern for what’s best for her. Nor what’s best for Eva.”

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